The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

Cherryfudge

We've finished some chicken and chorizo but everything else seems to be magically staying at about the same level - apart from blackberries. DH has just picked another big jug full.

Edited to add: I had some of the melon at last but it was so overripe that I've thrown most of it in the compost. My own fault for getting one while it was on offer when I had no real idea how I was going to store it or get through a whole melon on my own.

wumph

Had a slow cooked duck leg with salad on Saturday, another in freezer,  had the 2nd kangaroo steak which was vac packed so in fridge with chips and salad yesterday. Took out what I think is a h/m sausage parcel for tonight and then remembered I had jar of tahini paste and some harissa  tucked away so did search and found Harissa Chicken with Vegetables which uses some of all I have so probably tomorrow.  Will search on the tahini later.  Thats more recipes saved on Google Keep.

wumph

Just found a Tahini Pasta sauce so guess what for Wednesday.  Not a humus fan but wanted something different.  Tried to use Google Gemini,  their AI engine, but did not come up with anything I fancied so went back to ChatGPT and found it better. Well worth a try if you have anything odd to use up.

wumph

Oh  the Harissa was actually not !!  so had a good look in cupboard - found the cocktail sticks not used for years and replaced on Saturday (urgggg) but also 2 lots of caraway seeds,  bought for top of hm bread (no longer make) and Eater cake.   Done a search found chicken stuffed with cabbage and caraway so added that just 1 chick breast and found just the thing,  have all ingredients in cupboard and freezer so happy again. Pasta Tuesday,  chick Wednesday,  probably out for lunch Thursday - daughters bday.  Most of week sorted again.

Cherryfudge

An impressive lot of successful searching, @wumph! I don't think I'd even heard of Google Gemini. Another one to try.

I was just going to suggest hummus: you beat me to it.  

Copied over from my diary, my current food situation is like this: the soya yogurt needs to be used so I wanted to do the yogurt curry again, but we now have loads of chick pea masala and not a lot of freezer space. The last of the butternut squashes could make a butternut squash dhal, but again - freezer space. I did make a little freezer space today - 2 tsp of chopped chilli for the curry.  

And really I could do with using up the oddments of frozen veg in a soup, but that will have to wait.

Yesterday I did quite well for y/s fruit and veg: savings of £1.42 across pineapple 'lollies', strawberries, onions, plums, a bag of stir fry and an avocado. The stir fry is finished, which helped me use up some noodles, but wasn't worth getting again. Two of the three onions are cooking in the curry, which makes eight portions so that's our main meals for a few days or until I get freezer space. I'm eating the pineapple and DH has started the plums...

Cherryfudge

We are working our way through the big bowl of curry - I added the last of the pineapple and some raisins to mine today. DH is still munching his way through the uncooked blackberries and there are now more to pick.

The strawberries were starting to go over so I've cleaned and weighed them and added the same weight of sugar. Later, once the juices are running, I'll 'jam' them.

My hands smell nicely of strawberries.

Frugalistamama

Hi all!

Can I come back again!?  Got a food mountain....again... Which I am on a mission to reduce....again.

I'm in the process of reading the last 20 pages for some inspiration.

I'm reorganising the kitchen today so it'll help me with my renewed mission. 

Been on hols and bought back more food! What am I like! 

Nelliegrace

So vexed to find DH has not been checking the dates and using the stock of porridge in order. He puts the new ones at the front, and uses them first. They are organised now.  I expect the oldest is still edible, it smells alright. I shall add some to his muesli, and make some flapjacks. 

Frugalistamama

Cleaned and organised the kitchen, quick defrost of the freezer as I couldn't open one drawer, by taking out the drawers and covering them with towels. Put hot pots in the freezer and kept changing. Took about an hour and nothing defrosted.

Had some chicken thighs just about to turn so quickly part roasted them in the oven, took off the meat, made a curry with a half used pack of paste and serving with the last of a pack of brown rice I've been trying to finish. 

Cherryfudge

Good to see you back, @Frugalistamama, how's life been treating you?

@Nelliegrace, how exasperating about the oats! Did you make flapjacks in the end?

We swapped our meal plan around today so the last of the curry will make me a lunch. We had fish instead as I was in the supermarket while things were being marked down for the end of the Bank Holiday and noticed the fish was a good price (and reduced on top of that - and it was nice). I also bought loads of fruit and some 'posh' bread at low prices, along with some items I had a discount for at Sains. 

Yesterday I had a freebie of some chopped melon from an event at church and there are several servings needing to be eaten over the next few days (I love melon so it won't be a hardship). Today I've added to it bananas, peaches, plums, grapes, courgettes and lemons - all reduced prices except the bananas. DH already had oranges, pears and apples, and when we got home, there was a bag of apples from a neighbour. I will take the neighbour some of our blackberries in return.

This means, of course, a fruit-based diet for a few days! I also have pate nearly finished and have started to eat the pickled eggs I made. They're okay for flavour but I've boiled them too long so they're too hard.

I also got pastries at reduced prices for today and tomorrow and possibly a spare for another day.

Of course I realise now that I've overbought, despite deciding against a number of nice bargains.